naisme

I am on the horns of a dilemma, which bars to use. My LHT came with drops with bar end shifters, love the shifters not so hot about the bars. I have a set of mustache bars I use on a fixed gear, and enjoy them. I've seen them mostly on touring bikes, and understand why, but it just seems like a real hassle to get this bike dialed in when part of it is messing around with bars, bar tape, and all those adjustments, at least the stem part of this picture is easy.

So my questions are, how did you arrive at the bars you're rockin'? Someone suggest them? Read about them and tried them, liked them, never thought about it? For that matter how long did it take to dial your bike in, where everything was just right? Or were you happy with the way the bike was set up from the start and didn't need to make any adjustments? Do you have other bikes you experiment with, leaving the touring bike alone until the test is over? Did you switch something out only to go back to it because it was way better than what you thought would be better?

staehpj1

I am not very fussy about bars. I tend to like normal width ergo drop bars. The ones that came on my bike were fine.

jamawani 

When I am touring, I prefer ordinary, neighborhood bars. In small towns, there aren't that many bars to choose from - they usually cater to everybody in town - except the Mormons and the Baptists, of course. Even in the tiniest of towns - those barely holding on - there is usually a bar which doubles as grocery store, day care center, post office, and general town hall. But in larger towns and college towns you may find some sports bars, fern bars, and micro breweries.

Bacciagalupe

I used flat bars for awhile. Tried drops one day, didn't like it; tried them another day, and they were comfortable. Now I can't stand flat bars, I find the position awkward and uncomfortable.

If I were you, I'd do the following.

- dial in a position on drop bars, as best as possible
- do a weekend tour and see how it feels
- if you don't like it, fully document the position in case the alternative(s) don't work out

You'll spend some extra time, but if you get the right setup, it's worth it.

bigfo

I have wide shoulders so I looked for the widest bars I could find. I went thru 4 different bars and now I found some 48cm Nitto Noodle bars. They are nice and wide and just big so I can get to all the places no problem and they are comfortable.

Nigeyy

I found that it wasn't so much the style of bars, but getting the configuration right through trial and experiment. That's not to say all types of bars suit all people, just that I've found configuration to be essential.

I've toured on flat bars with bar ends, drops, and trekking bars -and I'm hard pressed to really say one was much more comfortable than the other (perhaps the only thing I can say is that the flat bars were slightly less comfortable, but still not bad). What was common in each case is that I had to go through various stems/quills and bar widths and in some cases different handlebars of the same type before I got to where I was happy.

Trekking bars were the worst for me to get comfortable -I was about to give up on them when I swapped them to a converted mtb bike and to my amazement found they were really comfortable -I've never looked back. I've currently got at least 2 quills/4 stems at home I've bought and tried at some time or another -not counting all the ones I did get and have fitted to the bikes I have. I also have a pair of drop handlebars I've got to ebay after realizing that no matter what stem I put on, the reach just didn't work for me (reach, width and shape can all substantially change how drops feel).

And yes, adjusting the handlebars or changing them can be time consuming -but honestly, you want to be comfortable don't you? If you go touring you could be faced with hours and hours of discomfort versus the hour or two it might have taken you to change them out. Even if it took longer, I'd still take hours of testing/swapping to be comfortable ultimately.

staehpj1

Within reason, it makes sense to go with the narrowest bars you are comfortable with. For me that is normal road bars despite the fact that I have wider than average shoulders. I have tried wider bars and saw no benefit.

Obviously use what works for you, but just because you have wide shoulders does not necessarily mean that you need wider bars.

PurpleK

I have always toured on drop bars, and the ones that are stock on my 520 are perfectly fine. To me, the advantage of the drop bar is the multitude of hand positions available, something flat bars don't offer.

onbike 1939

Why not try this?

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